Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 445: Worn Out with Worry

Capitalists are always in pursuit of profit. Following the announcement of Bosnia’s heavy industry plan and its accompanying preferential policies, many people have rushed to the region for assessment.

However, whether or not to invest will depend on the findings from these assessments. Typically, companies will only commit to investing after securing a mine.

In this era, the idea of importing ore from overseas is virtually unheard of. Although Austria’s colonies possess abundant mineral resources, the cost of extraction and transportation would be prohibitive for any enterprise.

Except for minerals not found domestically, importing ore was rare at this time. The primary industrial nations in Europe largely relied on domestic sources for their industrial raw materials, with colonies serving as supplementary sources.

Franz believes that capitalists are shrewd and will handle everything efficiently. Those lacking business acumen have likely already failed.

Now, his attention is focused on the African front. After the British deployed troops to Tunisia, the French quickly followed suit.

The struggle between Britain and France over control of the Tunisian Strait has intensified. As for the Tunisian government, it can be ignored; with two creditors at their doorstep, they can only act like ostriches.

Meanwhile, in the Red Sea, the competition between the Franco-Austrian alliance and the British has also become fierce. The successful opening of the Suez Canal exceeded British expectations, with the Franco-Austrian forces pushing them out of Egypt.

Currently, French forces occupy most of Egypt, and Austrian forces in Libya have pushed their border forward by several kilometers. Franz remains uncertain about the exact amount of territory occupied.

Ultimately, the actual territorial gains will be determined once the Egyptian government surrenders and after negotiations between France and Austria. After all, according to their agreement, Egypt was designated for the French, and any opportunistic land grabs would be seen as illegitimate.

It is understandable that the colonial government, due to its lower rank, might be unaware of the Franco-Austrian alliance. Such situations are normal and can be resolved through negotiations.

It is certain that the prime areas of Egypt were under French control, with Austria’s reach not extending as far with their occupied territories consisting mainly of a few oases and large desert areas.

These are minor issues that will not cause a rift between France and Austria. In any case, occupying these areas prematurely is pointless as they hold no value for the next century.

To counter the British incursion into Ethiopia, Austria deployed troops to the Arabian Peninsula, specifically the future Yemen, in March 1869. In short, the Red Sea region cannot be entirely controlled by the British. Although Yemen’s ports are not as significant as Djibouti, with some modifications, they can still accommodate warships.

Britain and France have not taken direct action because they still wish to maintain their image, and the Ottoman Empire is still technically their ally. The Arabian Peninsula has always been considered within the Ottoman sphere of influence.

Without sufficient benefits, it is rare for countries to act against their allies. For the French, controlling the Suez Canal was sufficient, as Austria would not block the canal anyway.

As for the British, facing the exclusion of France and Austria, any attempt to establish a blockade could provoke unpredictable reactions from the Franco-Austrian alliance.

In monarchies, interests alone do not dictate their actions; often, the emperor’s stance becomes the national stance. If Britain pushes France and Austria too far, the two could unite against Britain, causing serious repercussions.

The Ottoman Empire, as the affected party, has its envoy in Vienna protesting daily, and the Austrian Foreign Ministry is currently negotiating terms with them.

There already is a fait accompli, and Austria is not going to relinquish the territory. If the Ottomans want it back, they can try to take it by force. Otherwise, they can discuss it at the negotiation table.

This strategy follows the American approach: occupy the land first, then negotiate. This method not only keeps costs low but also avoids legal complications.

This approach is not limited to the Ottoman Empire but extends to all of Austria’s colonies in Africa. Austria acquired these territories through “legal” means by purchasing them from local indigenous tribes, complete with written agreements.

The validity of these agreements, including who signed them and their legal effectiveness, is obviously questionable.

In essence, the colonial government signed treaties with indigenous tribes, which included provisions for relocating the tribespeople to better living conditions in exchange for their land.

The colonial government strictly adhered to these treaties, ensuring that the tribespeople achieved their “great goal” of moving from Africa to better places like America, fulfilling their promise.

Beyond international conflicts, changes on the African battlefield have also caught Franz’s attention. Many African tribes have acquired muskets, indicating that someone is trying to disrupt Austria’s strategic plans.

The population of Austrian Africa has now exceeded seven million, significantly altering the balance of power and potentially turning the continent into Austria’s private domain.

The rapid population growth is due to two main factors: immigrants from East Prussia and the influx of people driven by the European economic crisis.

Due to its growing population, Austrian Africa has developed relatively well, far surpassing the colonies of other European countries in Africa and increasingly attracting immigrants.

This change has naturally caused concern among other nations, as a significant population shift can lead to substantial transformations. Without Austria’s support, these millions might be disregarded by Britain and France.

However, with a powerful Austria that is ready to integrate Africa, everyone must remain vigilant.

If it weren’t for the Greater France Plan distracting the French, it wouldn’t be Austria and France driving the British out of the Mediterranean. Instead, it would be Britain and France jointly encircling Austria.

Fortunately, Napoleon III has performed quite well. First, he annexed the Kingdom of Sardinia, then launched the Egyptian War, and now he’s competing with the British over the Strait of Tunisia, drawing much of John Bull’s attention.

Despite this, actions have consequences. Austria’s support of Ethiopia’s resistance against the British invasion hasn’t gone unnoticed by Britain.

They not only sold weapons to indigenous tribes but also sent numerous military instructors to train their armies. Luckily, these efforts have not been very successful. Otherwise, Austria would have been in significant trouble.

“Gentlemen, does anyone have ideas on how we can accelerate the French in their Greater France Plan? Their progress is too slow, so we need to give them a push.”

To ruin them, first, make them overextend.

Franz has been quite concerned about the French Greater France strategy. As long-time rivals, the Habsburgs understand France better than any other country, possibly even better than the French understand themselves.

In the original timeline, it was World War I that broke France’s back, at the cost of the German Empire’s downfall and the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s dissolution. Franz certainly does not want to follow that path now.

Even if Austria appears much stronger, Franz is still unsure how powerful it can be in combat.

He’s not worried about uniting the various states’ forces. In fact, it doesn’t require much effort. These states will give their all in war.

The reason is apparent just by looking at the map. Most of Austria’s national defense pressure falls on these states. If war breaks out, they will be the first to suffer. Anyone not cooperating would essentially be committing suicide.

The only problem is that there will be no winners if there’s a war. France hasn’t declined, and Franz doesn’t believe Austria will get as lucky as Prussia did in the original timeline.

Napoleon III might have underestimated Prussia in the original timeline, but facing present-day Austria, unless he’s severely overconfident, the same mistakes won’t happen.

As long as no major mistakes are made, the contest will be one of strength. After defeating France, Austria would then lack the power to dominate the European continent and could even face encirclement and destruction.

Given this, the only option is to let France decline on its own. Achieving this is very difficult, and the best strategy is to let the French self-destruct.

Challenging Europe is impossible. The French have tried many times, with their closest success being during Napoleon’s era. They certainly won’t attempt it again now.

The Greater France Empire is the grand vision Napoleon III painted for the public, and now Franz intends to use popular sentiment to force Napoleon III to make that vision a reality.

The dream of becoming a great nation is not only a driving force for a country’s success but also a force that can lead it into the abyss.

Foreign Minister Wessenberg responded, “Your Majesty, this may be very difficult. It’s not that the French don’t want to implement the Greater France strategy. It’s mainly that they lack the strength.

The scramble for overseas colonies has already diverted much of the French’s energy. Egypt, Tunisia, and Mexico are all battlefronts, and the newly occupied Kingdom of Sardinia isn’t stable either.

For them to advance further, they would need to resolve these issues. Otherwise, the French are incapable of annexing the Italian region, let alone making a move on Belgium.”

The Austrian government studied the situation and concluded that the best way to bring Belgium back into the Holy Roman Empire was to let the French annex Belgium first.

Only after enduring hardship would they see the value of the Holy Roman Empire. The same strategy could apply to Switzerland, but since the French have no interest in Switzerland, this tactic won’t work there.

Franz was well aware that the French were pushing their limits. With three distant battlefronts, the sheer military expenditure alone was enormous.

Currently, there are 72,000 French troops in Mexico, 127,000 in Egypt, and 48,000 in Tunisia—together, they’ve deployed over half their forces abroad.

If not for geographical constraints, now would be the perfect time to launch a surprise attack on France, as their domestic strength has reached its lowest point.

Clearly, that’s impossible. Although Austria and France share a border in Italy, neither has control over the core regions. Marching through the Alps would be a significant challenge, so it’s better to let go of the idea.

Prime Minister Felix pondered and said, “Perhaps we can provoke them a bit. The French aren’t entirely powerless. The issue of manpower can be resolved by expanding their military.

As for financial issues, with the full support of the French populace, this becomes less significant. Napoleon III’s government has also accumulated considerable reserves, so depleting some of them shouldn’t be a major problem.”

Provoking the French, or rather, inciting the radical expansionist groups within France, might be more appropriate. If the French expand their military, they will have the means to expand their territories.

Whether this impacts France’s economic development is of no concern to the radical factions, and Austria certainly doesn’t mind either.

The only issue is that if France expands its military, Austria would also need to do the same to maintain the balance.

Franz contemplated for a moment and said, “Provoking the French is acceptable, but we must ensure the situation doesn’t spiral out of control. We are not yet prepared for war.”

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